Pubdate: Mon, 16 Dec 2013
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2013 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Jim Bronskill

POLICE WOULD ISSUE TICKETS FOR MINOR OFFENCES IN PLAN

OTTAWA - Police would have the option of ticketing people for a range 
of minor offences - instead of laying criminal charges - under a plan 
that could yield significant savings for the cash-strapped justice system.

The idea has emerged from discussions fostered by the federal 
government on curbing the rising costs of policing, said Timothy 
Smith, a spokesman for the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

Under the proposal, officers would have the option of ticketing 
people for offences such as causing a disturbance, public nudity, 
falsifying an employment record, soliciting prostitution, vagrancy or 
trespassing.

It builds on a resolution the chiefs of police passed last August 
that would give officers the discretion to issue a ticket under the 
Contraventions Act for possession of a small amount of cannabis.

"This is all part of the economics of policing initiative and the 
discussion that's taking place to find ways in which we can more 
efficiently handle these types of issues," Smith said in an interview.

"In the case of some of these other offences, should they be 
criminally charged or would a ticket be a better enforcement option 
for all those involved within the judicial system and policing? 
That's the kind of thinking that's going on."

Last January the federal Public Safety minister, on behalf of 
provincial and territorial counterparts, hosted a summit on the 
economics of policing that included officers and chiefs from across 
the country, government officials and academics.

Officials say the cost of policing is steadily rising - hitting more 
than $12 billion in 2010 - even though the crime rate is falling. 
Among the reasons: increases in police officer salaries, higher costs 
for equipment and fuel, and new challenges such as dealing with 
people who have mental health issues.

Participants are looking for efficiencies within police services, new 
models of community safety and possible savings within the broader 
justice system. Giving someone a ticket for a relatively minor 
offence may be "more appropriate" than sending that person to 
criminal court, a process that "clogs the system up," said Mark 
Mander, police chief in Kentville, N.S.

Two of Mander's officers recently spent a full day in court and never 
ended up testifying, said Mander, head of the police chiefs' drug 
abuse committee.

"But they had to be there, right? We see that with even minor 
offences, where they're there all day and not having to testify."

He sees the ticketing option as another tool for police.

"But we also want to make sure that the police officers retain the 
right to lay the formal charge as well - so they still need that 
discretionary option, depending on the circumstances."

In late August, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the government was 
looking very carefully at the notion of a ticketing proposal for a 
small amount of marijuana. The police chiefs say they've heard nothing yet.

Meanwhile, the chiefs of police say they plan a conference on mental 
health in March in Toronto to discuss the reality that police have 
become the social workers of the street. With supports for the 
mentally ill lacking, there is pressure on officers to pick up the 
slack - eating into scarce resources.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom